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Visiting the Karawatha Forest

This morning we visited the Karawatha Forest on the southern outskirts of Brisbane. It has many walks and covers an area of about 900 hectares. We visited the Illaweena Road picnic section, which has some wonderful lagoons, melaleucas (tea trees),sedges and various pond weeds and lilies. These wetlands and other types of forest are home to many indigenous species. The time we spent was enjoyable, and the frog chorus was impressive. In fact this area is noted for its frog populations, some of which are endangered. Photos were taken and I made a couple of quick pencil sketches of the melaleucas which are really densely growing around the lagoon and surrounding parts. The forest itself in Karawatha is mostly eucalyptus but were didn’t venture into those sections. I love to go there to spend time reflecting, walking and taking pics, and visit a couple of times a year. These photos and sketches will probably be used in my “Remembrance” series of paintings. The lagoon and surrounds has a particular energy that I’m wanting to express. There is a diversity and richness present in this place, and a certain type of spirit. I enjoyed making the drawings, mainly as a way to remember how the trees were growing together interrelation to each other, and the interesting bark formations.

Karawatha – Tea tree sketch 1

Tea trees close up

The pics are also a useful reference and just pleasant to look at. I love the colours…the greyed kind of greens that are peculiar to the Australian bush, and the rough papery bark of the melaleucas.